Real Cause Of Sports Injuries

Real Cause of Sports Injuries

The answer to a fit and balanced body is definitely not found in sports. Sure, sports are fun, have some health benefits, and get us outdoors. Some are good for us. But to consider starting a sport to have a fit and well-balanced body is not the best option. Sports do not get us in shape; they actually get us out of shape.

The problem with most sports is that they develop tight muscles and create imbalances, either because of uneven use of muscle groups or because of uneven use of one side of the body.

Imbalances in Running and Tennis

Let’s take running for example. Sure, it is great for the cardiovascular system. But it dramatically tightens the muscles at the back of the legs. And besides this, it has no effect on most other muscles of the body. This intense shortening or disproportionate strengthening results in major muscular and structural imbalances.

Tennis is a game of repetition, and it creates a lot of strength and flexibility imbalances throughout the entire body, imbalances that could lead to injuries if not corrected. First of all, the player gets stronger in his dominant side and by always hitting the ball with the same hand. All parts of the body are linked together in a kinetic chain, and when one single part of this entire system does not work properly, it can create imbalances throughout the entire body and injuries on muscles that need to take abnormal loads.

Long Term Side Effects

The harder you train, the tighter your muscles will become, and this applies to most sports. Sure, there are some benefits to this as well. You will initially lose a few pounds, burn some fat, add some muscle mass and feel great about yourself. The problems appear over the long term when imbalances are created (unless you do something about this).

Muscle tightness or imbalances are bad, but they are not that bad. Some people can live with them for their whole life, not even realizing what the problem is. The real problem is when these imbalances lead to major injuries. Then you will have to quit working out completely or to switch to a different activity and start it all over from scratch, losing all of the progress you made to this point.

But switching to a different sport or activity will not solve the problem, and will eventually lead to the same injury again. We already discussed more about this in a previous article, and the solution lies in Yoga and Pilates.

Imbalances Lead to Injuries

Invariably, a lack of awareness about existing imbalances and the need for total fitness training is what leads to injuries. All injuries in sports are caused by structural and muscular imbalances, and we are not talking here about the obvious cases where you fall of the bike, you trip over a rock or the hockey puck hits you in the head.

If you start a training program with an existing imbalance that may have developed over the years from poor posture, an old injury or genetic bad luck, it will make its presence known at one point during training. The same thing is true when developing muscular and structural imbalance as a result of training.

Unfortunately, old-fashioned stretching is not something that most people like to do or have time for. And then, they slowly have to witness their bodies getting tighter and tighter. They eventually recall their pre-training days when they were free of muscle tightness and they were still able to touch their toes.

In the morning they barely crawl from bed to a hot shower, to their training clothes, and maybe also take an aspirin or two on the way. Then they wander through the city in search of chiropractors, physical therapists and orthopedists.

The Solution

Once injured, you will have to go through a lot of re-patterning, body tissue adaptations and changes in muscle length and strength ratios. If you got injured 1 year ago and didn’t do any rehabilitation, then the recovery will also take 1 year or more. It’s the same with weight loss. If you gained a lot of weight over the course of 2 years, it will also take around 2 years of eating healthy and working out in order to get back in great shape.

No matter the type of muscle imbalance or tightness you have, we can help you get back to normal through our Yoga and Pilates programs. We have many years of experience, helping both professional athletes and regular people. We offer a wide variety of methods and classes that can help relieve stress, treat certain medical conditions, rehabilitate after injuries, have more mobility and a better posture. Check our website for more info and contact us today! The staff at the Abbysan Center will gladly assist you!

Why Cross Training Is Not The Ultimate Solutions For Sporty’s

Why Cross Training is not the ultimate solutions for Sporty's

Most people these days are working in offices, sitting all day long on a chair and putting their backs in strange positions and under a lot of pressure. Some of them then go to a gym, and because of a lack of knowledge and a personal trainer to supervise them, they perform various exercises with a bad form. This way they put even more pressure on their back and create even worse imbalances.

Then, they might get injured, and looking for solutions they decide to try a different sport, thinking that this will make the pain or the imbalance go away. They try a different activity that involves different muscles, leaving the injured muscles involved in the primary sport to rest and heal. They think like this: “Since I can’t do bodybuilding anymore, then I’ll do Cross Fit. Since I can’t run anymore, then maybe I can bike or skate or swim”.

Sure, it’s great to try new activities and always be active. But changing the sport is not the solution and will not heal the imbalances or the pain. Even though it may help to counter the effects of sport specificity (training at only one sport), it is not the complete answer to injury prevention, injury rehabilitation, and balanced training. And there are two main reasons for that:

First of all, stopping a certain sport or activity does not fix the imbalance that was created or been aggravated by that activity. Sure, you will feel a bit better. But when you will start that activity again, the same imbalance will cause the same injury over and over again. The tightness will still be there.

The muscles don’t get longer by themselves (unless you do specific stretches and protocols). If you ran track in your high school years and now you are forty and haven’t run a day ever since your muscles are as tight as they were on the day you stopped running.

Of course that you lost your fitness and strength, but unless you have done something about it, the muscles are exactly the same length as they were in high school. Some people go through their entire life with muscle imbalances and tightness, not even realizing they have a problem or not knowing what the problem is. And in case you had an injury because of that tightness, if you decide to start running again, the same injury will return like a ghost to haunt you.

To better understand this concept, let’s take this example: you go over a big pothole with your car, which knocks the front end out of alignment. You keep on going not realizing there is a problem, and then one of the tires gets thinner until it completely breaks.

You then get a flat tire and stop in order to replace it. But as you start to drive again with the car still not aligned, the new tire will begin to wear in the exact same place, eventually breaking up again.

Lots of people got injured, took a break, then resumed the activity and developed the same injury again. So what should you do in this case? You need to fix the muscle imbalances and structural irregularities first, before starting the activity again.

There are plenty of ways to do that, and we are here to help! And we not only work with athletes or sports enthusiasts, but we also work with moms and regular people with various conditions. For example, a mom might have carried their baby on one hip for two years, and now she started running and she has knee problems. She now needs to have another baby and carry him on the other hip, or she can get our treatment services that will heal the imbalance.

The second reason is that no sport perfectly balances and complements any other in strict biomechanical terms. Some sports do go well with one another, for example, cross-country skiing and distance running, while others don’t go so well (for example basketball and running).

Some sports have a good direct muscular crossover effect (for example rollerblading and cycling or climbing and kayaking), while others have little muscular crossover effect, like cycling and running. Besides this, most people hate to shift exercising priorities to the point of letting go of the level of achievement they worked so hard to reach.

Our center provides Yoga and Pilates Classes, as well as custom therapy designed to cure imbalances, realign, build power and flexibility. Contact Us today and tell us more about what is bothering you.

Why High-Intensity Workouts Are Not Great For Weight Loss

Why High-Intensity Workouts Are Not Great For Weight Loss

Many people are claiming most forms of cardio and working out are a waste of time and that the best way to lose fat is to do super intense HIIT workouts, group training or cross fit. As you are about to find out, this is not necessarily true. The weight loss effects of HIIT have been over-exaggerated, and there are other better ways to lose weight and get in shape.

 

It’s true that HIIT workouts have health benefits and can improve various markers of cardio-metabolic health, but they are not as effective for weight loss as some people like to think.

 

Exercise Is Not That Effective for Weight Loss In General

 

A study looked at 493 other studies made in the last 25 years on diet and exercise, and found out that exercise provides a very slight edge compared to dieting alone. Over the course of 15 weeks, aerobic exercises alone provided a weight loss of around 7 lbs., dieting alone provided around 18 lbs., while dieting and exercise combined resulted in an average of 20 lbs. of weight loss.

 

That’s just 3 lbs. extra compared to dieting alone. And for those 3 extra pounds, you would have to work out really hard, to sweat and give all your effort, to invest time and money, to stress your body and put pressure on your joints.

 

Also, a part of the Heritage Family Study tracked more than 500 men and woman during a 20-week exercise program. What they found out after 60 intense workouts were that the subjects lost just around 2 lbs., showing that aerobic exercise is not a major factor in weight loss.

 

HIIT

 

But let’s get back to HIIT. People are claiming that it is so effective because of its “afterburn effect”, which claims that your body is still burning calories even after the workout is over. This is true but to a very small extent. The rumors about that magical afterburn effect have been way exaggerated.

 

This study showed that HIIT gives an extra caloric expenditure of around 226 calories, which were burned during and immediately after exercising, but having no impact on resting metabolism 23 hours after the workout. Comparing this to 45 minutes of steady cardio which burns around 700 calories (519 during the workout and 190 after it had finished), doesn’t make HIIT that great for weight loss.

 

A meta-analysis of the Australian scientists examined multiple studies and concluded that there is no evidence to support that HIIT is more effective for burning body fat, nor is steady-state cardio.

 

More Reasons To Avoid High-Intensity Workouts

 

Here are a few other reasons why high-intensity workouts, group classes, cross fit or boot camp style workouts are not that effective for weight loss:

 

  • The workouts are making people hungrier, and since most of them are already obese, it means they do not have a proper diet. So high-intensity workouts only make them eat more of the junk food that made them fat in the first place

 

  • Most classes do not properly train all participants on how to correctly perform all of the exercises. Usually, there is only one trainer that teaches in front of 30 people, so they don’t get the chance to personally adjust the execution of each participant. This leads to bad movement patterns on top of the dysfunctional patterns people already have from sitting all day long

 

  • Such intense workouts make participants feel exhausted instead of being fresh and energetic

 

  • If people do not get enough sleep, not only they will not lose weight, but they will feel tired the next day. And in search of more energy, they will turn to sugar and other junk food that will make them gain weight instead of losing it

 

  • These workouts are great for getting you pumped and hyped up, but they do not relax you mentally in order to reduce cortisol. This hormone plays a huge role in weight loss

 

What To Do Instead?

 

As multiple studies have shown it, the single best way to lose weight is through dieting. There are lots of diets out there, but they are all based on the same principle: a caloric deficit.

 

We suggest to start with detox and then to follow a healthy diet that includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and is not an extreme one focused on heavily restricting certain foods or macronutrients.

 

We also recommend taking classes that will help you relax and get rid of daily stress. When you are on a diet you are even more stressed than usual, so classes like Yoga and Pilates can help you a lot.

 

Our 30-day jump start program includes unlimited Yoga, Pilates & Exercise classes, posture screening, and body metrics, a 30-minute goal setting and strategy session, as well as a personalized class calendar to achieve your personal goals. Our experts are here to change your life! Click here to find out more.

Be Pain Free – One Alternative

Be Pain Free - One Alternative

With half the celebrities around the world getting their pictures taken leaving Pilates classes, and perhaps your friends and neighbors reducing aches and pains and becoming fit with Pilates, you might be wondering about Pilates lessons for yourself.

What’s Pilates?

“A core workout” is the vaguest answer you will get in just one sentence. Still, surely there is more to it, and only a professional Pilates instructor will be able to give you a better answer.

“Excuse my technical terms in this article, but I can’t help it. I found most individuals rarely make an effort or want to learn more about themselves than they do about others.”

Restructure Your Core

Your Core is your entire body from your diaphragm to your pelvic floor. Pilates can help make your abs stronger or give you better muscular endurance in your Core. Honestly, the focus of a Pilates class is primarily on your inner unit “powerhouse.” That being the central focus of the Pilates programs at Abbysan Centre, it will also serve your back, arms, legs, neck, and feet!

Postural Balance

Technology has created a generation of back and neck pain. Pilates programs are used by everyone from athletes to office workers for their ability to develop strength and correct posture in the critical areas of the body such as hips, lower back, upper back, and neck.

Our Pilates programs will help counteract the effects of slouching and office syndrome. You will learn to release typically overactive regions of your body like the chest, front shoulders, upper back, and hip flexor muscles.

All of this significantly improves dynamic stability – the ability of the body to hold itself in better alignment for longer, maintaining an upright posture, balance, and responsiveness.

Rebuild muscle tone

You might know at least one Celebrities who credit Pilates as the reason for their toned muscles. It makes your arms lean and toned.

Maintaining the underlying tissue quality of Gluteal muscles is your best asset. It helps in maintaining pelvic stability, knee alignment, power in jumps, speed when running, and make your buttock look shapely in tights, of course. Do Pilates for a more extended, leaner muscle system making you stand taller and look slimmer!

Regain Control

Pilates includes balance and standing work. Most of us don’t move our spines in all different directions. A Pilates class will take your spine and neck through a various gentle range of motions (flexion, rotation, extension, and lateral flexion). If you feel tight from sitting or standing all day, these movements will get you loose and limber again.

All movements of Pilates easily be related to compound and dynamic functional movements. This is so beneficial in learning to regain control and re-educate your actions.

Functional movements refer to the actions that we are likely to perform during our daily life.

Equipment or No equipment – It works

All kinds of exercises use Pilates reformer to promote length, strength, flexibility, and balance. The reformer is the key to achieving the long, strong muscles without bulk. The exercises on reformers provide enough resistance and movement variety to help build strong bones.

You don’t need equipment — you can do a Pilates workout on Mat anywhere. Although Pilates can use a full studio, it can also be done just with your bodyweight. If you are committed, we can put together a custom Pilates routine for your holiday hotel rooms. Let us know!

Dancers love it

Pilates is the exercise of dancers. Think of the bodies you see in movies or on the stage — if you want long, lean muscles and ensure the safety of your joints, unlike the dancers; then this is the workout for you.

Best fit for Prenatal or Postnatal

Not only crucial for mums and mums-to-be, but Pilates will also strengthen your pelvic floor, which is a vital muscle for everyone. Your pelvic floor gives you control over your bladder and bowel, but can be weakened by childbirth, obesity and also if you lift a lot of heavyweights.

Athlete and Sport’s Conditioning

Late, Mr. Joseph Pilates initially developed the method as a rehabilitative tool. Joseph Pilates, a German gymnast, born in 1883, who believed that poor posture goes hand-in-hand with poor health and dedicated his life to teaching his exercise techniques. He had a strong belief that having an awareness of breath and alignment of the spine, we could develop the deep spinal and abdominal muscles, and reduce stress.

Elderly are not exceptions

Older people have many risk factors due to aging and lack of exercise. A decrease in balance, gait disabilities, and falls are most common and significantly affects their mobility in day-to-day life.

“Balance” is a very complicated function that maintains positions through diverse functional elements, and intervention of the nervous and musculoskeletal systems. It takes almost 15-18 months for a newborn baby to be able to walk correctly.

Various sensory-motor neuron interacts in response to changes in gravity, the base of support, vision, physical stability, and the external environment, resulting instability of the body. Mat-based Pilates helps elderly male and females improve trunk stability, dynamic balance, and significantly decrease the sway length and sway speed.

Clinical Pilates

* Chronic Low back pain (LBP)

* Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD)

* Post Menstrual Syndrome (PMS)

* Multiple sclerosis

* Lymphedema after Breast Cancer Treatment

* Spinal Deformities

Supervised under dedicated instructor

Attending a scheduled class or a private session is the ideal way to start Pilates. Your instructor will be able to design a bespoke pilates program that you can also practice yourself between your sessions in the studio. You are getting the most out of your training, and in time you’ll be amazed by the results.

Our instructors are certified Pilates instructors as well as hold bachelor’s degrees in physiotherapy. We can create bespoke rehab and exercise programs for our clients with injuries or postural issues.

Warning!

  1. If you have an injury, consider doing a few one-on-one sessions with one of our Pilates specialists first to learn the basics. On a personal level, always remember the rule that if something hurts, don’t do it.
  2. Attending classes throughout pregnancy also significantly help and speeds up the process of getting your body back in shape after childbirth. Remember, as with any exercise, always check with your doctor first, and remember to tell your trainer that you are pregnant before commencing class.

Abbysan Studio is located at the entrance of boat lagoon in Phuket, offering highly effective body sculpting Pilates workouts.

Based on various studies indicate people who practice Pilates with proper technique over time see the following benefits:

  • Improved flexibility and mobility
  • Trunk stability
  • Core and pelvic floor strength
  • Injury prevention
  • Improved posture
  • Improved coordination and athletic performance in some sports.

Dr. Abhishek Agrawal

As a pilates instructor, I feel rewarded when my clients achieve their goals, be it getting pain-free or having more ease-of-movement.

Visit the following research links for your reference

Pilates: how does it work, and who needs it?

The Effects of Pilates Mat Exercise on the Balance Ability of Elderly Females

Effects of modified Pilates on the variability of inter-joint coordination during walking in the elderly.

Impact of Clinical Pilates Exercises on Patients Developing Lymphedema after Breast Cancer Treatment

Yoga Gets My Body And Mind Ready For My Day

Yoga Gets me ready

I love it when exercise wakes up my senses. My choice of activity is based on its ability to enliven me and heighten my energy. Yoga gets me ready for challenging days.

Going through slow yoga stretches each morning allows my muscles and joints to loosen up. It is an excellent way to get over the state of stillness from hours of sleep.

Any aches that I wake up with are gently soothed with poses that lengthen my limbs. I feel like a new person after ten minutes of yoga. It is a wonderful activity for getting my body ready for more strenuous activity.

When I am at work, I pay attention to my posture. Sitting at my desk for long hours takes a toll on my body. Whenever my back feels tight, I take a break to adjust my posture. As a result, my muscles loosen up in my lower back.

Relaxed muscles take away the tension that prevents me from concentrating. I credit my stretching habits with my mental sharpness on the job.

Lifting weights at the gym is physically strenuous, so I am careful to protect my spine. I do that by adding yoga moves before and after each workout. This returns my body to a neutral state that supports my daily routines.

Today, my body gives its best to me because I take good care of it through yoga. When my muscles and joints are stretched and soothed, I feel capable of taking on the world.

Self-Reflection Questions:

  1. What other benefits does yoga offer?
  2. How do I adjust my workout routine to ensure a balanced activity?
  3. How effective is yoga at relaxing me at the end of each day?

Pelvic Floor – The Base Of Your Core

Pelvic Floor - The Base Of Your Core

Your body is a majestic work of art. Different concepts and ideas have been morphed together to create symmetry and functional physics so you can do all sorts of things. You have a number of nerves, vessels, muscles and bones carefully put together to perform certain functions.

Most parts of the human body show symmetry and this is mirrored in different parts like eyes, ears, arms etc. The hip bone also shows symmetry. What most people do not know is that we have two hip bones that are fused together. Now, imagine this, your conjoined hip bone is like a bowl or a vase with its bottom cut. So naturally, a vase needs some sort of base to hold all of the beautiful flowers it contains. That’s where the pelvic floor comes in.

What is the pelvic floor?

The pelvic floor is literally a floor for the pelvis (the lower part of the torso between the abdomen and the legs). It is made up of a group of muscles, arranged in layers, that stretches out like a hammock attached to the symphysis pubis (the place where two hip bones join in the front) and the coccyx (the tail bone that is considered the very end of the spine, and is present at the back).

What is the pelvic floor?

Where is the pelvic floor?

The pelvic floor is present at the bottom of the pelvis (the area between the abdomen and the legs). To get a general idea, your pelvic floor has holes for your anus and urethra to pass through. So now, you can imagine where your pelvic floor is.

What is the importance of pelvic floor?

This hammock of muscles acts to support all the pelvic organs like the bladder, womb (uterus) and bowel (colon). These organs have openings to the outside of the body through tubes, namely, urethra, vagina and anus. The urethra (present in the front most from where you pee), the vagina (present in the middle of urethra and anus) and the anus (present at the back from where you poop) all pass through the pelvic floor muscles. So every time these pelvic floor muscles contract, it would tighten the tubes and every time the pelvic floor muscles relax, it would loosen the tubes. In this way, the pelvic floor muscles can be held responsible for regulating micturation (the process of passing urine), sexual activity, and defecation (the process of eliminating feces/ poop from the body). Therefore, the dual role of the pelvic floor is to provide support for the pelvic viscera (bladder, bowel and uterus) and maintain the functional integrity of these organs.  Hence, it is necessary to keep your pelvic floor muscles strong.

The pelvic floor can be activated along with the surrounding muscles in association with the body and lumbopelvic posture as well as sitting posture. In patients with incontinence, urine usually leaks out in the standing position as a result of gravity and pressure from the pelvic organs on the musculofascial supportive structures. Learning to activate the pelvic floor can be helpful in patients of incontinence.

In addition, it was detected that the pelvic floor muscles showed a feed-forward response during arm and leg lifts in women, according to research in Sweden. This was especially evident in women who had previously given birth and were without lumbopelvic pain. These normal speed movements set off an electromyographic response for pelvic floor muscles.

Due to the constant burden on pelvic floor muscles, with the added effect of pregnancy and labor in women, the pelvic floor can become weakened or lax with age. Since the pelvic floor supports various organs, continuous pressure or an increase thereof can lead to prolapse.

What are some methods or techniques to activate the pelvic floor?

The muscles of the pelvic floor are so out of tune with our body that we may not know how to control them. To relearn how we can control the different types of muscles in that area is called activation of the pelvic floor.

The first thing on the checklist is knowing which muscle is which. This can be done by squatting and trying to tighten all those different tubes. This would help in recognizing the muscles. Try to stop midstream when urinating. Remember, do not tighten your buttocks. Squeeze and draw in the muscles around your anus and your vagina at the same time while lifting them up inside as if you are trying to suck in water inside them. Make sure you are breathing correctly. You should have a sense of lift each time you squeeze your pelvic floor muscles, trying to hold them strong and tight all the while counting to 8. Now, let the muscles go and relax, just like your thighs. You should have a distinct feeling of letting go of ad relaxation.

It is best to rest for about 8 seconds in between each lift up of the muscles. Of course, it is possible that you cannot hold for 8. In this case, just hold for as long as you can. 

Repeat this “squeeze and lift” as many times as you can, up to a limit of 8 to 12 squeezes.

Try to do three repetitions of 8 to 12 squeezes each, with a rest in between.

Do this whole training plan (three sets of 8 to 12 squeezes) each day while lying down, sitting or standing.

What is the cause of pelvic floor weakness?

Muscles of the pelvic floor are most often not used voluntarily but they play quite a role involuntarily when we shift all of our stress to this area. You see, every time we are faced with a stressful situation, the muscles of the pelvic floor clench themselves. This constant state of clenching hinders the power of the muscles to perform well as they might not contract and be stuck in their contracted state.

This lack of control of pelvic floor muscles leads to a lack of control of other important bodily functions like micturation, defecation, sexual activity, et cetera.

What is the relationship of the pelvic floor with latent energy and Kundalini?

All the negative energy from stress situations is gathered in the pelvic floor. This collection of energy must be released in order to maintain a balance. Different postural variations in exercise and yoga play an important role in stress release. Kundalini energy is a term used to refer to this energy that is locked in the Mula banda (pelvic region). This area is best stimulated while strategically contracting and relaxing the pelvic floor in coordination with your breathing and contraction and relaxation of other muscles of the body. Repeatedly exercising for a good five minutes will result in shifting of this energy upward and outside the body.

What is the relationship of the pelvic floor and breathing?

The pelvic floor is depressed downwards when we breathe in. This is because the air that enters the lungs puts pressure on the diaphragm. The diaphragm pushes on the organs below and the pressure is transmitted via the pelvic organs to the pelvic floor. It is said that while breathing in, the pelvic floor must not be contracted, so as not to squash the pelvic organs. To the pelvic floor should be relaxed. Whereas when breathing out, there is no positive pressure on either the pelvic floor or the organs, so, the floor can be contracted now.

How to Prevent Injury During Distance Running Training

How to Prevent Injury

How to prevent Injury during Distance Running Training

The risk of injury in distance running increases as severe and sudden changes made in the training schedule, it could be a sudden increase in the number of days in a week you are to train. Almost all runners battle with one or more injuries each year. Every runner has a different mental and physical condition. A good coach that will help evaluates factors in detail that influences a training program should be hired, contribute to set up a training program depending on the runner’s mix.

Aiming to get an effective and safe system? Then Jack Daniels principles of training listed below can serve.

  • Knowledge of your training necessities

Since what works perfectly for one might not work for another, you always have to keep in mind the purpose of the training session and specific needs to achieve the goal.

  • Setting your own pace

Copying the current, and previous champion’s approach to training doesn’t always work, but can be used to support your training program. Challenge yourself with training on the foundation of scientific principles. “When you hear about a new approach to training, don’t just try to copy it rather try to analyze it,” says Jack Daniels. Know the benefits to your body’s system.

Do not follow all publicly released athlete’s training, because to gain recognition, some runners lie about their training schedule and even in the training log to give people the impression that their training is demanding.

Another risk of following previous champions, training is the difference in body type. According to Jack Daniels, know your type of body, your strengths, and weaknesses, be true to yourself regarding your abilities, try to learn what works for you, why it works for you, and why you are considering trying something new in your approach. Before you follow a suggested workout, know your present fitness level, experience level, and goals.

The following sets of questions are adapted from “Jack Daniels,” and will help in evaluating an athlete’s training needs. In the process of your distance running training, you must ask yourself this list of questions:

What is your present fitness level? Are you ready to train and compete?

How much time in a week(s) are you available for a season’s best performance?

How many hours in a day, days in a week will you be available for training?

What are your pros and cons, as regards speed, endurance, aerobic capacity, economy, and reaction to different amounts of running?

What training type do you prefer? To what training-type do you respond well too psychologically? What specific event are you preparing for?

How should periodic races fit into the training program?

What are the environmental conditions of the distance running competition?

Injury is less about damaged tissues and more about your sensitivity and irritation. Addition of weight lifting and jump to your training could help reduce injuries. Try not to go overboard during workouts as this may increase the risk of injury. After the marathon, allow your body to rest for a week or two before setting another goal.

Getting Set for Distance Running

Getting Set for Distance Running

Training is essential in every athlete’s life. It defines the athlete performance level on the aspect of sports event he has chosen. Whether you are a runner, football player, swimmer, cricket play, or volleyball player, it doesn’t matter because training must be done for the body to be adequately equipped, and ready for the main game. Here is how to prepare you into getting set for distance running.

There are plenty of things to put into consideration when distance running is involved. A runner should have comfortable running shoes, your running log. In the record, you can write all the vital statistics, as you oversee your progress and look out for signs that signify you have to improve. The log consists of daily distance covered, your weight, morning pulse, personal records as regards your run and your daily comments are also crucial because it gives you an idea of your feeling before and after a series. The log also helps you to keep track of when you start feeling any pain. You can then figure out the source of the problem and tackle it.

Moving on, while training of the real thing, you have to put your body in consideration most especially your joints, lower back, feet, ankles, knees, and hips. Make sure you save them for the real thing, straining them before the primary race can affect your success rate. Nevertheless, you have to prepare for the real thing properly, but it should be done professionally, carefully and gradually to avoid confirming the body to stress and injuries.

The treadmill is another speed workout you can rely on when preparing for a distance run. This kind of exercise gives you less strain compared to the road’s practice. Typically anglers on the treadmill are set at three percent higher, but if you want something more challenging, you can gradually increase the angle of inclination.

Nature also affects on training time. Hot summer days leave you dehydrated and take toll of your overall performance. You are training in the morning, before sunrise, and in the evening, after the sun sets. Therefore, you can adjust your training schedule to fit the weather. Training before dawn helps boost your energy’s level, and after sunset helps prevents your body from breaking down due to heat strokes, enables you to sleep well and also stabilizes your blood pressure.

Running in the evening can be risky sometimes before it is dark and cars might not notice you. Therefore, you are advised to wear a bright color and wear a headlamp if possible.

Other than the physical preparation, mental and emotional development is made in getting ready for distance running. Start at a training pace which suits the capacity your body can handle, to prevent muscle strain and joint pains, after which you can gradually employ changes as you go, based on the statistics you have accumulated, start with little steps before taking the giant leaps. Stretching before running is not necessary; you can do so after running to relax the muscles.

Distance Running and The Olympics

Distance Running and The Olympics

Running traced back to the old days, in fact as humans, we run in most of our everyday life whether for a long distance or a short one. However, in the world of sports, the long-distance race is part of the oldest track event Included in the Ancient Olympics. Any running game where the runner covers at least two kilometers is tagged as distance running. Endurance, stamina, and strength are of essential value in this competition. During the race, competitors must maintain their energies to run effortlessly towards the end of a long race.

Only males were allowed in the 19th century to compete in long-distance running in the Olympics game, until 1928 when a woman was allowed to compete in the Summer Olympics. However, women were only allowed to participate in the 800-meters distance race.

1500, 3000, and 10000-meter event were instituted in 1972, 1984, and 1988 respectively, although, the 5000-meter race replaced the 3000-meter run in 1996.

All Olympic race rules and regulations (both it’s drafting and amendment) are made by The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). Such standards include

  • Olympic distance runners are to maintain their lane from start to finish.
  • In longer distance races (1500 meters and above), runners are divided into two batches.
  • The first batch stays across the inner half of the track and goes first, while the second batch remains on the outer track until the first batch finishes the first turn.

For a country to compete in Olympic distance running events, the runner can complete the race within the Olympic qualifying time. Only three representatives from a country may compete for every race. Olympic distance events have1 to 2 rounds of preliminary runs, in the finals, a total of 8 runners take part in the 800-meter run, 12 in 1500meter, 15 in the 5000meter, and the numbers of finalists for 10000 meters vary about the number of entrants. The race comes to an end when an athlete’s torso touches the finish line.

One of the persons who shook the Olympic marathon world and became the most popular in the marathon world is Deena Kastor, an American and a distance events champion. She holds both national and world records in numerous marathon (including the half-marathon events), and a bronze medal in the women’s division of distance running Olympics in 2004. In 2006, she went further to set a new American marathon record of 2:19:36, which has been the highest noted since the inclusion in the Olympic track, in 1984. Currently, she and Dathan Ritzenhe in (her fellow American) are among the 2008World’sTop Olympic Contenders.

Distance running requires the right combination of talent, track and field skills, ability, speed, strength, flexibility, and stamina. Countries that bring their best running athletes to participant tend to have a better shot not just at winning, but also at setting a record.

In Olympic, distance running tends to dominate the scene. Therefore, the Pressure on runners and marathoners is super intense.